Shloka 1
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Marriage Arrangement and the Daśārṇa Envoy’s Accusation (शिखण्डिनी-विवाह-विप्रलम्भ-प्रसङ्गः)
ऑपनआक्रात बछ। अं क्ाज एकनवर्त्याधिकशततमो< ध्याय: ट्रुपदपत्नीका उत्तर
bhīṣma uvāca | tataḥ śikhaṇḍino mātā yathātattvaṃ narādhipa | ācacakṣe mahābāho bhartre kanyāṃ śikhaṇḍinīm ||
Bhīṣma sprach: «Daraufhin, o König, legte Shikhaṇḍīs Mutter die Sache genau so offen, wie sie in Wahrheit war. O Herrscher mit mächtigen Armen, sie sagte zu ihrem Gemahl: “Dies ist kein Sohn namens Shikhaṇḍī; sie ist eine Tochter namens Shikhaṇḍinī.”»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds yathātattva—speaking the truth as it is—especially within family and royal responsibility. Ethical clarity (truthful disclosure) is presented as necessary even when the truth is socially difficult, because hidden facts can later shape major dharmic and political outcomes.
Bhishma narrates that Śikhaṇḍi’s mother reveals to her husband the true situation: the child known publicly as Śikhaṇḍi is in fact a daughter named Śikhaṇḍinī. This disclosure sets up the subsequent events connected with Śikhaṇḍinī/Śikhaṇḍi’s transformation and role in the larger conflict.